Rocker.



PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

S. R. STAMBAUGH.

ROCKER.

APPLIOATION FILED mma. 190s.

1H: NORRIS PETERS 90., WASHINGTON, mi.

UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE.

ROCKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application filed. March 3, 1905. Serial No. 243,268.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL R. STAM- BAUGH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State ofTennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rockers,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in rockers used in theconcentration of ores; and the object is to provide means for catchingthe very fine gold which hitherto has been wasted.

With these objects in view my invention consists in a rocker having aplurality of transversely-located semicircular ritfles adapted tocontain quicksilver in connection with stationary riffle-boards,whichalso contain quick silver'in their grooves, in which the coarse gold iscaught in its descent from the washing-trough above and on the way tothe rocker beneath.

My invention further consists in certain novel features of constructionand combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter de scribed, andpointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is an endelevation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, and Figs.4 and 5 are detached views of the two stationary riffle-boards.

The numeral 1 represents the rocker.

2 is the washing-trough; 3, the coarserefuse spout; 4 4, arms holdingthe trough and spout; 5, the hopper; 6, a screw for raising and loweringan end of the rocker; 7, the hinge of the rocker; 8, an elevating-hingefor the frame on which the rocker is supported and which is capable ofbeing raised and lowered at the outer end by the screw 6.

9 9 are rubber bumpers.

10 is a rocker-lever secured, preferably, to

one end of the rocker 1.

11 is the main frame of the machine.

12 12 are the riffles in the rocker.

13 13 are the riflles in the longer riffleboard.

14 14 are the .riflles in the shorter riflleboard.

15 is the cleaning-up groove.

16 is the cleaning-out plug,located at one end of the groove 15.

18 is a rod upon which arms 4 4 are hinged so as to permit the trough tobe swung aside into the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2,and 19 19 are hangers by which the stationary riflie-boards aresuspended from the trough 2.

While my invention is more particularly adapted for use with myinvention disclosed in Letters Patent No. 633,397, issued September 19,1899, for mining in frozen ground, still of course it is capable of usewherever a rocker may be used in the concentration of precious metals. a

The rocker is preferably about forty inches in diameter and eight feetin length, with fourteen grooves susceptible of receiving uicksilver, asare also the several grooves in t e riffle-boards, which latter arepreferably made from solid lank.

In operation t e gravel or pay-dirt is conveyed in any convenient mannerto the hopper, then allowed to descend the inclined steel plate 2,removably carried by the arms 4 4, into the steel trough 2, which latterhas a perforated bottom suitable in size for the material to be washed.The plate 2is slotted near one longitudinal edge to receive one side theplate being cut away to fit within the hopper. The plate bridges thespace between the hopper and the trough. The ma,- terial is forced downinto the trough by means of a hoe or rake. If the material is frozen, itis first thawed by steam and thoroughly disintegrated, when it isreadily washed by one or more streams orjets of hot water. The coarsegravel too coarse to pass through the perforations of the trough israked off through the raised curved spout 3 and landed outside of therocker, while all the fine material drops through the perforations in.the trough or screen 2 onto the downwardly-inclined rifHe-boards l3 and14, where it drops into hot water and warm quicksilver in the very firstgroove of the rocker which is close up to the head end of the rocker.Thence it passes through the other grooves of the rocker, all of whichcontain quicksilver, to insure the saving of the fine and dust gold, aswell as the coarse, which is In other words, by my invention I save whatheretofore has been lost. The longitudinally-extending groove 15communicates with all of the transverse grooves 12 12 of the rocker, andinto this one groove 15 or wall of the hopper 5, the opposite edge ofthe only part now saved with the processes in use.

the quicksilver in the others may be emptied to facilitate cleaning up.The transverse grooves in the rocker come within six inches of the top'of the rocker, terminating in the cleaning-up groove. By removing therocker from its hinges and turning it on the one side all the grooves 1212 can be washed into the one groove 15, and the uicksilver can beemptied into a pan throug the plug-hole 16, andthe heavy amalgamatedgold in groove 15 can be readily spooned out. By turning the screw 6 theinclination of the rocker is regulated for the different grades ofmaterial to be washed, the head end of the rocker resting on a rigidbeam 17, while the beam 17 is hinged at 8, the screw operating to raiseor lower it. The trou h 2, spout 3, and rilfieboards 13 and 14 awaysremain stationary while at work, while the rocker 1 underneath isoscillated to facilitate the saving of the very fine gold. When it isdesired to clean up the machine, the trough is swung back into theosition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and t e arms 4 4 may beweighted, if desired, at their extreme ends to counterbalance the weightof the trough and spout and make the elevation of the latter as easy aspossible.

. From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple means is provided forcatching and saving the fine particles of precious metals which wouldotherwise be lost.

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the forin andarrangement of the several parts described without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not desire to limitmyself to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention,what I claim as new,and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rocker comprising a curved interior surface, a series of rifllesextending transversely of the rocker and conforming in shape therewith,the riffles comprising a series of successive parallel inclines, thelowest point of one incline connected with the highest point of thesucceeding incline by means of an undercut groove, the interior surfaceof the rocker provided with a longitudinallyextending grooveintersecting each of the undercut grooves, and means for laterallyrocking the rocker, and for periodically tilting the same.

2. In a rocker, the combination with a curved interior surface, of aseries of transversely-extending riffles with undercut grooves coveringthe interior surface of the rocker and conforming in shape therewith,the rocker further provided with a longitudinally-extending grooveintersecting the rifiles, and communicating with an aperture throughwhich the groove is drained, the

groove normally occupying a position relalating the rocker laterally,the body portion.

further provided with a longitudinally-extending groove adapted toreceive the contents of the transversely-extending grooves, T

the longitudinally-extending groove normally occupying a position whichprevents it from retaining the concentrates, the rocker being adapted tobe tilted to discharge the concentrates into the groove.

4. The combination with a suitably-supported rocker, and means foroscillating the same laterally, of a screen-trough stationarily locatedabove the upper open side of the rocker, stationary riflled boardslocated beneath the trough, each rifile-board adapted to receivematerial directly from the screen, and one of said boards dischargingonto the other of said boards, the riflie-boards located within therocker.

5. The combination with a semicylindrical rocker, a series oftransversely-extending riffies formed in the curved interior of therocker and conforming to the curved surface of the rocker and means foroscillating the rocker laterally, of a screen for receiving the ore tobe treated, the screen normally stationarily supported within thehorizontal plane of the upper edges of the rocker, rifHe-boards sus--pended from and beneath the screen and within the rocker, and a curveddischargespout secured to one end of the screen and passing over oneedge of the rocker.

6. The combination with a riffled rocker and means for oscillating thesame, of a frame disposed adjacent the rocker, arms pivotally secured tothe frame, ahoppercarried by the frame, a screen mounted onthe arms, atone end thereof, and a plate carried by the arms and bridging the spacebetween the hopper and the screen.

7. The combination with a rifliled rocker and means for operating thesame, of a frame located adjacent the rocker, a hopper carried by theframe, arms pivotally secured to the frame, the rear ends of the armstaking beneath and limited in their movement in one direction by theframe, a hopper carried by the oppositeends of the arms and normallylocated above the rocker and a plate removably carried by the arms andbridging the space between the hopper and screen.

8. The combination with a riffled rocker and means for rocking the same,of suitable framework located adjacent to the rocker,

means carried by the framework for receiving In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature the ore and feeding it to the rocker, a beam inpresence of two witnesses.

hinged at one end to the framework its other end supporting the rocker,and means SAMUEL STAMBAUGH' 5 for raising and lowering the free end ofthis Witnesses:

hinged beam whereby to regulate the inclina- S. F. STAMBAUGH, tions ofthe rocker. JAMES A. MCCLURE.

